By Monty Siekerman
The Ada Public Library celebrated its 100th birthday on Thursday evening. The library can only be described as "You've come a long way, baby" because it began a century ago in the women's restroom of the town hall.
That arrangement didn't last long. By 1918 the library found a home in the Brewer Block on Main. By the next year, the books (and staff) were housed at 108 E. Highland, a distinctive brick building that is now for sale. The library remained there until 1953.
The library moved into its current building in 1953. An addition and renovation in 1994 expanded and modernized the facility.
Currently, an $800,000 addition is under construction and extensive renovation is taking place. Completion is set for February.
What began as a small collection of books in a ladies restroom will soon be housed in an up-to-date structure with plenty of convenient parking. But, it must be reported, the inside restrooms are not presently operable due to construction, port-a-potties are outside. Ironic.
Pictured with the centennial cake: Library Director Rhett Grant and longtime employee Karen Garver.
• From left: Connie Fleming, chair of the library board who was named Ada Distinguished Citizen earlier this month; and board members Diane Simon and Erin Chrissobolis.
• A group of musicians meets at the library every other Thursday. They invite others with acoustic instruments to join the strumming and singing. The gathering on Thursday provided background music during the 100th library celebration. From left are Jerry Arnett of Ada, Roger Aldridge of McComb, and James Reichey of Rawson.
• Payton Williams, 3, enjoys cake at the library centennial. She is the daughter of Sara Lansing and Blake Williams. It is conceivable that Payton could live to see the library's 200th anniversary, but she needs to take good care of herself and, in the future, obey all the "rules of the road" when driving her spacecraft, drone, or jet pack.
